| Many times, parents ask whether homeschooling | | | | by default superior. However, homeschooled |
| works. It's true that parents know that | | | | students were even functioning above their |
| public schools can often have problems, but | | | | private school peers. |
| they don't know that they can do any better | | | | |
| if they teach their children themselves that | | | | In addition, homeschooling costs less than |
| if they send their children to public school. | | | | either private or public school does. On |
| As an alternative, some parents opt for | | | | average, public schools spent $6,500 per |
| private school. Since a child's education is | | | | student per year. Private schools spent |
| so important, though, they're understandably | | | | $3,500 per student per year. Homeschoolers |
| cautious when they think of homeschooling | | | | spent just $550 per student per year. Of |
| their children themselves. | | | | course, the last number does not adjust for |
| | | | the fact that a parent teaches for "free" and |
| However, numerous studies show that | | | | teachers are paid monetarily. |
| homeschooling in large part produces superior | | | | |
| results as compared to public or even private | | | | Public school first became commonplace in the |
| schooling. Part of this may be due to the | | | | second half of the 19th century. At that |
| fact that homeschooling by default means that | | | | time, more and more states made at least |
| parents are involved in their children's | | | | basic education compulsory. This was done in |
| educations. This is also often true in public | | | | an attempt to increase literacy rates. Prior |
| or private school education, but not always. | | | | to that time, many parents were only barely |
| Therefore, may be parental involvement is the | | | | literate in the English language themselves, |
| deciding factor, rather than the | | | | often because they had just immigrated to the |
| homeschooling situation itself. | | | | United States. Nonetheless, despite this, |
| | | | illiteracy rates in Massachusetts in 1840 |
| However, even when this is taken into | | | | were still just 2% among adults. By 1995, |
| consideration, homeschooling still produces | | | | that figure had jumped to 19%, despite the |
| better results versus public or private | | | | supposedly increased emphasis on literacy in |
| school. | | | | recent years as well as a much greater |
| | | | availability of books and other reading |
| A study sponsored by the US Department of | | | | materials. |
| Education showed that homeschooling students' | | | | |
| scores were "exceptionally high" as compared | | | | Presently, approximately one million children |
| to their peers. Every grade showed median | | | | are homeschooled in America yearly. Many |
| scores higher than those for public or even | | | | thousands have attended universities and |
| parochial or private school students. | | | | colleges. Some of those colleges were |
| Homeschooled students who would have been in | | | | prestigious and very difficult to get into. |
| grades one through four functioned at least a | | | | With homeschooling, peer pressure that |
| grade level above their peers. By the time | | | | normally plagues children otherwise eager to |
| they reached what was the equivalent of | | | | learn is absent. Instead, the parent or |
| eighth grade, they were four years ahead of | | | | tutor, as well as any "classmates," only |
| their public school peers. | | | | encourage the student. |
| | | | |
| In part, this may be explained by the fact | | | | In short, homeschooling is a wonderful way to |
| that public schools in general often do a | | | | give your child an education if you're up to |
| substandard job and not that homeschooling is | | | | the task. |